St. Parrott's Day in Prague: AZ run riot against Sparta to reach ECL quarterfinals

The Dutch side headed to Prague holding a narrow one-goal lead from their 2-1 triumph in Alkmaar the week before. Ahead of the key Thursday UEFA Conference League encounter, both AZ and Sparta Prague had strong weekends, as Sparta overcame Slovácko 5-2 while AZ defeated Heracles Almelo 4-0.

AZ made a perfect opening in the epet ARENA as Kees Smit spotted Isak Jensen approaching Sparta's penalty area, leaving the Danish attacker in a one-on-one situation. Jensen struck with his right boot, firing the ball past Jakub Surovčík into the far corner to score in the eighth minute.

Despite the match being evenly poised, Sparta Prague delivered a subdued first half, generating only a couple of slight openings. The Czech outfit mustered just two shots after the second minute, neither of which challenged Jeroen Zoet.

AZ mirrored this approach and appeared satisfied to hold firm, though only Alexandre Penetra threatened a second goal for the visitors, his header drifting wide of the uprights.

Under acting coach Lee-Roy Echtold, AZ appeared to secure victory decisively when Irish standout Troy Parrott netted a straightforward second from Denzo Kasius's precise cross, establishing a three-goal overall edge with 30 minutes still to play in Prague.

The Dutch dominance persisted soon afterwards as Sven Mijnans delivered a decisive long-range effort, which Surovčík could merely observe flying into the net to confirm the 3-0 scoreline.

The epet ARENA at last erupted for a Sparta effort after 67 minutes, yet the fans' delight turned to frustration when a prompt VAR intervention judged Matyás Vojta offside, nullifying the strike.

A rapid break four minutes post-Vojta's veto deepened Sparta's frustration, with Troy Parrott surging into their territory and feeding the unmarked Ro-Zangelo Daal, who slotted home into an unguarded goal to punctuate AZ's standout night.

AZ controlled the closing stages with ease, progressing to their first European quarterfinals since 2014. The Alkmaar outfit, scheduled for the Dutch Cup final in April, will take on either Ukrainian powerhouse Shakhtar Donetsk or Polish outfit Lech Poznan across April 9th and 16th.